Compressor-controlling mechanism



F. D. HOLDSWORTH.

COMPRESSION CONTROLLING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FlLED MAR.30,1918.

1 63,204. Patented Dec. 21, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

FRED D. HOLDSWORTH, 0F CLAREMONT, HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO SULLIVAN MACHINERY CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

COMPRESSOR-CONTROLLING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented, Dec. 21, 1920.

Application filed March 30, 1918. Serial No. 225,751.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, FRED D. HoLDswoRrH, a citizen of the United States residing at Claremont, in the county of ullivan and State of New Hampshire, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Compressor-Controlling Mechanisms, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to compressor controlling mechanisms. f

It has for its object to provide improved mechanism whereby a compressor may be controlled in an improved manner, the same, while not necessarily limited thereto, being especially adapted to use in starting. A further object of my invention is to provide an improved controlling mechanism for unloading a .motor driven compressor, whereby through improved means the line pressure may be utilized at any time to unload the compressor, and especially to unload the same during starting in such a manner as to reduce the load upon the compressor driving motor during the starting of the latter. These and other objects and advantages of my improved construction will, however, hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown for purposes of illustration one embodiment which my invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings,-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a compressor equipped with my improvement, certain portions of the same being broken away to facilitate illustration.

Fig. '2 is a detail side elevation of the controlling mechanism and its connections.

Fig.3 is a detail vertical sectional view of a portion of this controlling mechanism, the pipe connections being removed.

In this illustrative construction I have shown a compressor 1, which may be of any suitable type, but preferably, as herein, is provided with a piston 2 reciprocable in a suitable cylinder 3 which, in turn, is equipped with inlet valves 4:, herein shown to be of the suction type, and discharge valves 5, so that the piston may draw in air through'the compressor intake 6 and the inlet valves 4 and discharge the same in a well known manner through the discharge valves 5 into a discharge pipe 7 leading to a receiver 8.

Cooperating with the inlet valves 4, I have herein shown pistons or plungers 9 carried in suitable cylinders 10 disposed beneath the valves 4. and adapted to be moved'into engagement with the stems of the latter to raise the same from their seats against the pressure of their seating springs 11 when pressure from a suitable source, as for instance the receiver, is supplied to these plungers through suitable pipe connections 12. As shown, pressure is herein supplied to these pipe connections 12 through another suitable pipe connection 13, and the flow of fluid through the latter is controlled by a suitable controlling valve mechanism, herein indicated at 14. This valve mechanism may assume various forms, but the same is illustrated herein as of the type which functions automatically, whenever the receiver pressure exceeds or drops below a predetermined limit, to supply or exhaust recelver pressure beneath the pistons or plungers 9 and thereby either elevate the latter and the suction valves to unload the compressor, or, by reducing the pressure beneath the plungers, permit the springs ll to seat the valves and load the compressor.

In this illustrative form of my invention, it will be observed that in Fig. 3 I have shown the valve mechanism 14 to be of a well known construction of the type including a suitable casing having adiaphragm 15 therein and chambers 16 and 17 on its opposite sides. As shown, one of these chambers, 2'. e. the upper chamber 16, carries therein a suitable diaphragm engaging plunger 18 which is acted upon by a spring 19, adjustable by means of an adjustable cap 20, which, in turn, preferably is provided with a port 21 opening to the atmosphere. As illustrated, the lower chamber 17 communicates with the receiver 8 through the pipe connection 13, and carries therein a second diaphragm engaging plunger 22 acted upon by a suitable spring 23 and havlng a later ally branched longitudinal port 24 leading down into a lower chamber 25 and controlled by a disk valve 26, which in turn is normally held elevated by a spring 27 and is provided with ports 28 and is adapted to control the communication of the chamber 25 with the exhaust ports 29, or, when the plunger 22 moves upward, to conduct am through the ports 28 to the chamber 25, and so to a port 30 in the lower end of the chamber 25, while closing ofl' the exhaust ports.

In my improved constructlon, 1t w1ll be noted that I have provided a bypass around the valve 14, the same being provided herein by operatively connecting a three-way pipe section 31 with the lower end of a plug 32 housing the chamber 25, and connecting another three-way pipe connection 33 to a plpe 34 leading from the chamber 17, and then connecting the two pipe sections by suitable means, as, for instance, an elbow pipe connection 35. Attention is also directed to the fact that I have provided suitable valve mechanismadapted to divert the pressure throughthe valve 14 or through the bypass, as desired. Herein, it will be noted that I have shown a three-way valve 36 adapted to be controlled by a suitable manually adjustable controlling-lever 37. ',Thus, it will be noted that the valve is adjustable at will by the operator to establish communication between the receiver 8 and the pipe connections 12, either through the chamber 17, the passage 24, the valve 26, theport 30, and the valve 36; or through the pipeconnections 33, 35, and the valve 36.

In the operation of my improved construction, it will be observed that the operator, whenever desired, during the starting, may utilize any existing pressure in the receiver 8 to lift the suction valves 4 from their seats and thereby unload the compressor. More specificall it will be observed that by turning the va ve controlling handle 37 so that the valve 36 causes the pressure fluid to pass through the connection 35 in the bypass around the pilot valve 14, the fluid is supplied directly from "the receiver to the inlet valves 4 to raise the latter from their seats and thus unload the compressor, so that the motor driving the same is not subjected to a heavy load in starting. Obviously, after the motor has, however, reached' its running speed, it will be eyidentthat the operator, by simply moving the controlling handle 37 to its opposite position, e. a, through 90 in a clockwise direction, may eliminate the bypass and cause the ressure from the receiver to pass through t e pilot valve 14 in the usual manner, the compressor thereafter being automatically controlled by the valve mechanism 14 in accordance with the variations in pressure in the receiver.

By the use of my improvement, it will be observed that it is possible to equip a compressor provided with the usual automatic pressure controlled loadin and unloading mechanism, with improve means whereby the samemay be unloaded at will by fluid pressure either during starting or at any desired time, when the receiver pressure is above a predetermined, relativelylO limit. It will also be evident that the mechanism will in no way interfere with the normal automatic pressure control mechanism ordinarily provided, and that the same is exceedingly simple and adapted to be applied to the compressor at small expense. These and other advantages of my improved construction will, however, be clearly apparent to those skilled in the art.

While I have in this application specifically described one embodiment which my invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this form of the same is used only for purposes of illustration, and that the invention may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims. v

V'Wuat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, a receiver, a compressor, fluid pressure actuated unloading means for said compressor, a branched connection between said receiver and said unloading means, automatic receiver pressure governed control means for said unloading means in one of said branches, and a threeway valve located at one of the branch points of the connection betwen the receiver and the compressor unloading means.

2. In combination, a receiver, a compressor, fluid pressure actuated unloading means for said compressona connection between said receiver and said unloading means, automatic receiver pressure governed control means for said unloading means located in said connection, a shunt connection around said control means and a three-way valve arranged at the junction of said connections adjacent the unloading means.

3. In combination, a receiver, a compressor, fluid pressure actuated unloading means for said compressor, a connection between said receiver and said unloadin means, a receiver pressure governed contro means for said unloading means located in said connection, a shunt connection around said control means, and a three-way valve located at the junction of said connections adjacent the unloading means, and operative when in its opposite positions to open one of said connections and close the other thereof adjacent its outlet end.

4. In combination with a receiver, a compressor having suction operated unloading valves, a fluid pressure controlled unloading means therefor comprising automatic means having connections with said receiver and said unloading means and controlled by re ceiver pressure, said automatic means being With the connection between said automatic operative to supply pressure from said remeans and said unloading means, said manceiver to said unloading means and to exually controlled means being operative to 10 haust pressure from the latter, a shunt conopen one of said connections While closing 5 nection around said automatic means,and the other. manually controlled means located at the In testimony whereof I affix my signature. point of junction of said shunt connection FRED D. HOLDSWORTH. 

